Kids-approved Healthy Burger Recipe

Burgers sound like a greasy mess of food with low nutrition, but they don’t have to be deemed an unhealthy treat if we can tweak the way it’s typically made. With some simple modifications, burgers can serve up some healthy goodness too! :p

So one fine day, K and I decided to make these kids-friendly healthy burgers with the help of little V and baby L. We made some delish Egg-free Tofu Pork Patties for baby V back then, and it was a hit! This time round, our beef burger patties are as is, but you can feel free to jazz up the nutritional factor with kale and all!

Now that she’s older, our soon-to-be four year old enjoyed the preparation process and was eager to sink her teeth into the dish! Preparation was easy and having a toddler involved can be fun (or chaotic, since 1 other toddler was quite the rule breaker!). Have a go with your kids too – cooking together as a family was an interesting experience!

Vera and Leroy helping to prepare those burgers…. or, not? :P

Homemade Healthy Burgers (makes 6 burgers)

Ingredients:

150g Minced beef (feel free to replace with chicken or pork as desired)

McCormick Italian Herbs

Salt, as desired

Pepper, as desired

Ground black pepper, as desired

8 Fresh shitake mushrooms, washed and sliced

Lettuce, washed and cut into desired sizes

Burger cheese slices (regular cheddar slices are great too!)

Fresh pineapple, cut into rings (canned pineapples are great too!)

2 Large tomatoes

1 Large yellow onion, washed and cut into rings

1 tbsp Minced garlic

Gardenia burger buns

One was trying to cut those celery sticks, while the other was eyeing those buns…. how did we ever get to cook those burgers?? LOL!

For sides:

2 sticks of celery, washed and cut into desired length

2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, washed and cut into strips

4 small potatoes, washed and cut into strips

Yogurt or mayonnaise

A sprinkle of Chia Seeds

Getting the big sister to help was easy. But with Leroy, it was more of keeping his little fingers away from the meat because it would end up EVERYWHERE! :p

To prepare beef patties:

– Set aside small portion of minced beef for kids. Season as desired with Italian Herbs and pepper.

– Season remaining portion of minced beef for adults – adjust spiciness with extra black pepper and salt as preferred.

– Place both portions of minced beef in separate bowls and cover with cling wrap. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

Homemade burger patties in special shapes and sizes! :P

Method:

1) Shape minced beef into patties. Heat pan and warm up some olive oil. Place patties on pan and cook to desired done-ness for adults. Cook beef patties completely for kids’ portion. Remove and place on clean plate.

3) Slice Gardenia Buns into half and butter both sides. Lightly warm up by heating insides of buns if desired. Stack ingredients accordingly to make your burgers!

Air Fryer, here we go! Getting those sweet potato fries and French Fries in!

As for the potatoes and sweet potatoes, they were air fried with the Mayer Air Fryer – yes, we have a new kitchen tool to play with! Healthier versions of French fries and sweet potato fries, yes? :P

Baby Leroy tried to help but….. hmmm… not so sure about those hygiene standards by this Chef! HA!

And I definitely couldn’t do without vegetables, so we had some raw celery sticks with a dollop of yogurt and Chia Seeds on the sides too.

Serving up healthy homemade burgers for the family! YUMS!

Voila! How’s that for some super easy, deliciously healthy burgers that score with toddlers and preschoolers too? :D

Welcome to the first Burger Chowdown! Daddy and daughter going fast and furious with their food. Who won??

Watching Vera and Leroy devour those burgers was such a beaming moment! Thank you Daddy K for helping to cook those patties and stacking up those burgers! I had to whisk the baby away for a nursing session, so in reality, it takes a fair bit of coordination in between. Truth be told, it takes extra teamwork to put a meal together when you have two inquisitive kids, and hungry people to feed! #keepingitreal

Who says you can’t have your burger and eat it? :P

And the baby was enjoying his own burger like a big boy! Where did all that time go???

Both kids ate them quite differently too – one had a deconstructed burger, while the other tried to wolf down that stack (and eventually decided to deconstruct it as well)! :P

Our young man chowing his burger like a pro…. but it’s actually his FIRST time with one!Mr Inspector is checking what’s in his burger!Someone loves these caramelized onions. YUMMEH!

Published by the hOOter

Fueled by a secret obsession in being a writer. Love discovering new things & learning new stuff. Decidedly inquisitive. Interests: Writing. Beauty. Fashion. Photography. The Beautiful Things in Life & More.
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9 comments

So nice to see the little chef in action and your burger recipe also look very tempting to try too. I am also learning to cook simple dishes at home for my children. Maybe I can start with the beef patty first :D

Homemade burgers are best cos you can control everything that goes into the burger! I love how Leroy sized up his burger with that suspicious look. So cute! Have the kids asked for more burger-making sessions?

Yum! I am always on the lookout for kid-friendly recipes and am glad I found one here.

Being in the US, I feel like my kids’ “Asian appetite” is ironically more unhealthy than our American friends’. They eat baby carrot and celery sticks with hummus or yoghurt for lunch. How did you make yours do that? These are stuff I’ve tried when they were babies but they are picky eaters and have rejected them.

They love tofu, broccoli and salmon, so those have been their staples. Recently, I’ve resorted to kale chips to get them to eat some of those good stuff.

Another tip to make the burger healthier is to substitute regular mince with fat reduced mince. Your burgers look good and more importantly, you guys seemed like you had a blast making them as a family!